St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-07
He COULDN'T FLEE.
Franklin Did Not Get Out of Jail This
Time.
HAD NO MONKEY-WRENCH
The Famous Forger Makes His Third
Attempt at Escape, But Iguobly
Fails.

At 7:30 o'clock yesterday morning. as
. breakfast was being served to the prlS-
Opers at the county Jail. Thomas b.
Franklin" the fOrger, whose true name
is William Bradford, who is well known
to the public through his connection
with the famous monkey wrench and
the trial of Attorney Albert Knittle,
made his fourth attempt to elude the
clutches of the law. The consequence
is that at present he is pining within
the dark and gloomy walls of a dun
geon, where the only company he has is
his own thoughts. To understand the
plan of escape 1t is necessary to under
stand the construction of the Jail. The
receptacle in which the prisoners are
confined is large cage situated in the
center of what is known as the cell
room. Within this cage there are three
tiers of cells, one above another, with a
corridor in front of each tier. The top
of the cage is about eight feet from the
ceiling of the room. Ordinarily the
prisoners are permitted TO walk about
in the corridors, but before each meal
they are all locked in their cells, while
the turnkey sets a table for them
in each of the three corridors.
At the time the other prisoners
were locked in their cells yesterday
morning Franklin was concealed in the
water closet at the end of the corridor
in the upper tier, but he had very clev-
erly fixed up dummy upon his so that
the turnkey would think he was in his
cell. While Johnson, the turnkey was
engaged in setting the table, fight was
started among the prisoners in the
% Inh1 1.1t-h nH
down to Quell the disturb
once. when Franklin slipped out of
the corridor and climbed on top of the
cage. After the prisoners had been let
out of the cells, Johnson discovered that
Franklin was missing and commenced
a search for him. He soon discovered
that Franklin had crawled along the
top of the Gags to where an iron Ventll-
ating pipe ran from the water closet up
through the ceiling to the roof of the
jail. He had then climbed up the pipe by
placing his feet on the rims where the
sections of pipe joined. In this way he
reached the ceiling and pulled off some
of the lath and plaster and crawled
through the hole he had made i'll the
ceiling into the attic. The prisoners in
the lower tier had in the meantime been
making considerable disturbance for the
purpose Ol preventing JOulooiI lloLi
hearing the noise of the dropping plas-
ter. AS soon as Johnson discovered his
hiding place he informed Jailer Kelley.
who went up in the attic and brought
the fugitive down. He was then placed
in the dungeon. This is the third at
tempt Franklin has made to escape from
Sheriff SwensOn since being placed in
his custody, but it is the first
time he has succeeded in getting out OF
the cage. 1t was well-cOntrived plan,
and but for the watchfulness Of the
turnkey would have been successful.
AS every sheriff so far, with the eXcep-
ton of the present incumbent, has had
prisoners escape through the ceiling of
the cell room, it would seem that the
county commissioners might strengthen
this weak place by having iron bars
fastened on the ceiling. with bolts run
ming through the rafters.